1. Field of the Invention
The present general inventive concept relates to an image forming apparatus having a file-format conversion function and a method thereof. More specifically, the present general inventive concept relates to an image forming apparatus and method, in which a format of a received data file can be converted, and the converted data file can be printed or transmitted to and stored in an external memory device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, an image forming apparatus, such as a printer or a replicator, performs a data communication with an information processing device, such as a computer, through a serial or parallel line to receive printing data and print the received print data on a print paper.
In the information processing device, a user loads an application program to generate a data file containing a text and an image or to generate the printing data, which is then transmitted to the image forming apparatus and printed on the print paper.
When generating or storing an original file using the application program, the user generates and saves the data file in a text file format, or designates an image file format, such as BMP, PDF, or TIFF, to generate and save the data file in the designated image file format.
In order to print the generated file, if a print command is input to the application program, a printer driver processes the data file, which is stored in the text file format or the image file format, into the printing data recognizable in the image forming apparatus, using a language such as PCL (printer control language) or PS (post script). Then, the generated printing data is transmitted to the image forming apparatus.
Therefore, if the image forming apparatus receives the printing data transmitted from the information-processing device, the image forming apparatus generates a display list with respect to the received printing data. The printing data is converted into a bitmap file of two-bit data using the generated display list and then printed on the print paper after various image-processing steps for printing.
On the other hand, a current trend for development is that the image forming apparatus, such as the printer or the replicator, is connected to an external memory device, such as a USB memory stick, using a USB connection terminal such that the image forming apparatus can receive data stored in the external memory device to print the received data, or to transmit data to the external memory stick to store therein.
The USB connection terminal is one of the serial buses, which has been developed for easy connection between the information processing device, such as the computer, and peripheral devices. Using this USB connection terminal, the peripheral devices, such as a printer, a modem, a scanner, a digital camera, or a camcorder, can be connected to the information processing device to be used immediately when the information processing device is turned on.
Thus, in a case where a USB memory device, such as the USB memory stick having the USB connection terminal, is connected to the image forming apparatus through the USB connection terminal provided therein when it remains turned-on, the USB memory device is immediately added on the information processing device to thereby enable a data communication therebetween.
However, if a format of data files received from the information processing device or the USB memory device is not a format supportable in the image forming apparatus, the received data file cannot be printed in the image forming apparatus.
Furthermore, in addition to the printing job of a data file stored in the USB memory device, the image forming apparatus is required to convert the format of the data file and to store the converted format file in the USB memory device.
As the number of Internet users increases, and a number of users continue to operate web pages as a home page, image files are widely used for the users to edit the web pages, and the users generate and edit the image files to use the edited image files as the web pages.
The image files have various formats such as JPEG, TIFF, PPDF, or the like. Depending on a web service provider, an image file format used in the web pages may be different in many cases. Thus, in order for a user to upload the user's own materials to the web page, the user is required to convert a text file into an image file, or to convert an image file into other image format files.
However, since a format of an image file is the same as an original format of the image file, a text file needs to be converted into another imager file, or the format of the image file needs to be converted into other formats when a target format of the image file is different from the original format. Therefore, there are disadvantages in that many different format conversion programs are needed, depending upon the original format and the target format.